1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to garage doors and garage door track brackets. More particularly, the present invention relates to a reversible garage door track bracket that can be used to mount a garage door track a wide range of distances from a door jamb.
2. Description of Prior Art
There are many brackets and methods for securing a garage door track to a door jamb. This is because garage doors are available in a variety of thicknesses due to a number of design issues including insulation, stiffness, and aesthetic appeal.
The thickness of a garage door must be considered when mounting the door. The door must be mounted with a specific mounting distance from the jamb whereby the distance is defined by the thickness. A front surface of the door moves in close proximity to the jamb, while a rear surface has a roller mounted thereto. The front surface must rest substantially flush with the jamb, since the door is expected to substantially seal an opening defined by the jamb when the door is in a closed position. The door must also move freely between the closed position and an open position. The roller, mounted to the rear surface, rides within the track. Therefore, the distance the track is mounted from the jamb is critical. If the track is mounted too far from the jamb, there will be a gap between the door and the jamb when the door is closed. If the track is mounted too close to the jamb, the door will not close or move properly.
Garage door track brackets typically have a jamb flange and a perpendicularly extending track flange. The jamb flange is typically secured to the jamb with a large jamb bolt. The track flange is typically secured to the track with a small track bolt. Typically, both the jamb flange and the track flange include a hole or a slot for receiving the jamb bolt or track bolt therein, respectively.
Currently, there are three types of brackets available to accommodate the variety of garage door thicknesses. A first type is a simple bracket designed to fit one specific size of door with a predefined mounting distance. A number of these brackets, each constructed with a different predefined mounting distance, are needed to accommodate the variety of garage door thicknesses. An installer is therefore required to stock many of these brackets so as to accomodate all possible door thicknesses. Additionally, the installer must insure that a variety of the brackets are delivered to each job site and must collect the excess brackets once the door is installed. Managing a large inventory of the brackets is both labor and capital intensive.
A second type is a multiple distance bracket. This bracket includes multiple holes or slots in the track flange to accommodate many standard door thicknesses. Unfortunately, there are limits to the number of different thicknesses that can be accommodated. Therefore, the multiple distance bracket is not suitable for a nonstandard door thickness or a special mounting requirement.
A third type is a limited slot bracket. This bracket includes a slot on the track flange to allow for a limited degree of accommodation for different door thicknesses. In order to accommodate different door thicknesses, the track flange is substantially longer than even the largest distance it is designed to accommodate. In the case where the distance between the jamb and the track is relatively small, the track flange extends well beyond the track. Such a protrusion is very undesirable, because a person or an object may inadvertently strike it, causing possible bodily injury or damage to clothing and other objects.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved garage door track bracket that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.
The reversible garage door track bracket of the present invention overcomes the above-identified problems and provides a distinct advance in the art of garage door track brackets. More particularly the present invention provides a reversible garage door track bracket that can be used to mount a track a wide range of distances from a door jamb without necessitating use of a variety of differently sized brackets and without resulting in undesirable protrusions of the bracket after it has been mounted.
The preferred reversible garage door track bracket broadly comprises a short flange and a long flange oriented perpendicular to one another. The short flange includes a short slot and the long flange similarly includes a long slot. Each slot comprises two distinct slot widths each accommodating two differently sized bolts. Each flange also includes a plurality of holes through which a plurality of rivets can be secured.
For relatively thick garage doors, the short flange is secured to the jamb, with a jamb bolt driven through a wide portion of the short slot, and the long flange is secured to the track, with a track bolt driven through a slim portion of the long slot. Alternatively, the track can be supported by rivets riveted through any of the holes in the long flange. The elongation of the slots and the dispersion of the holes allow for a great degree of flexibility in mounting the bracket to the jamb and mounting the track to the bracket.
For relatively thin garage doors, an even greater degree of flexibility is achieved by reversing the bracket such that the long flange is secured to the jamb and the short flange is secured to the track. The versatility of the bracket simplifies the installation of a garage door, by replacing many prior art brackets of varied sizes. Additionally, undesirable protrusions can be avoided.